Steam boiler and superheater therefor



C. E. WARD.

STEAM BOILER AND SUPERHEATER THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. 1921.

1,%36,838, I Patented Nov. 28, 1922..

3 SHEETS-*SHEET l.

C. E. WARD.

STEAM BOILER AND SUPERHEATER THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1921.

' Patented Nov. 28,1922.

'3 SHEETSSHEET s.

Qwuwnloz Patented Nov, 2%, i922,

UNH

CHARLES E. WARD, OF CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

a as

STEAM BOILER AND SUPER/HEATER THEREFOR.

Application filed April 6, 1921. Serial N0. 459,033.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. WARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Charleston, in the county of Kanawha and State of est Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam Boilers and Superheaters Therefor; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7

This invention relates to steam boilers and superheaters therefor, and has for its object to provide an apparatus of this char acter which will be simple in construction, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, and more etficient in operation than those which have been heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional View of a portion of a steam boiler and superheater made in accordance with the prescnt invent-ion;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken approximately on the line 22 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken approximately on the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 of a somewhat modified form of theinvention, taken approximately on the line 44 of Figure 5; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1, of the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figure 4.

In my prior U- S. application #452,044, filed March 14, 1921, entitled Liquid heater and vaporizer, I have disclosed an express type boiler and superheater therefor, wherein the superheater drums are mounted in such a posit-ion that the superheater tubes connecting the same are located adjacent the upper portion of the steam generating tubes, with a portion of the said superheater tubes entering and occupying lanes which are formed in the said generating tubes by the omission of certain of the said latter tubes. This said application further contemplates the employment of suitable baflie members in the lower portion of the said lanes, which is not occupied by the superheater tubes, in

order to prevent the escape of the hot gases through these said lanes, to the end that the said gases may be continued longer in contact with the generating tubes for the purpose of extracting as much heat therefrom as possible. 1

However, since the superheater tubes are filled with steam at a temperature approximating the temperature of the hot gases, it has been found that not all of the heat units contained in these said gases are extracted therefrom, and that therefore the stack temperatures have not been reduced to the lowest point possible.

It is therefore proposed in the present invention to overcome this objection by locating the superheater tubes near the lowermost portion of the steam generating tubes and taking up the remainder of the length of the said generating tubes by relatively shorter generating tubes holding water in the same manner as the main generating tubes which shorter or auxiliary tubes will have a temperature considerably less than that of the hot gases and which will accordingly absorb more of the heat units from the said gases before they enter the stack than was the case in the said prior application.

Referring more especially to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, 1 indicates generally a water tube boiler of the so-called express type provided with the upper or steam drum 2, and the lower or water drum 3, which drums may besuitably joined to gether as by the set of generating tubes 4- Only one-half of the boiler is shown in Figures 1 and 5, it being understood, however, thateach of the parts so shown and described is, or may be, duplicated upon the opposite side of the boiler in reversed relation.

Secured to the framework 5 of the boiler structure in any suitable manner, is a header member or receptacle 6 constituting an auxiliary water chamber from which leads a plurality of short or auxiliary steam generating tubes 7, connecting with the steam drum 2, as will be clear from Figure 1. Pivotally secured to the said header member 6 as by the hinge 8 is a similar header member .9 from which leads a plurality of superheater tubes 10 having their lower ends introduced into a third header member 11, as will be readily apparent.

The second header member 9 is preferably mounted substantially in alinement with the center of the lower water drum 3, and together with the lower header member 11 and the superheater tubes 10, constitutes a superheater structure which may be swung outwardly around the hinge 8, much after the manner disclosed in my said prior application #452,044, for the purpose of gaining ready access to the superheater tubes 10 should it become necessary to repair or renew any of the said tubes.

It will be noted in this connection that the lower superheater header 11 is located substantially in alinement with the outer periphery of the lower-Water drum 3, so that the total width of the boiler and superheater is not increased to any material extent over the width of the boiler alone. This is an important consideration when this apparatus is being constructed for use aboard battleships and other vessels where space is more or less limited.

It will be noted in the form of the invention shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, that the superheater tubes 10 as well as the auxiliary generating tubes 7 are located entirgly outside the set of main generating tubes 4 in contradistinction to the apparatus shown in my said prior application #452,044, wherein a portion of the superheater tubes were -lo-- cated in lanes provided in the main generating tubes by the omission of certain rows of the said latter tubes. However the present invention is capable of being employed in this latter manner as is clearly brought out in Figures 4 and 5. of the present drawings, wherein in Figure 4, for example, certain of the main gene-rating tubes are omitted to form lanes 15 into which are adapted to enter the rows 16 of superheater tubes 10 as well as the rows 17 of the auxiliary generating tubes 7. That is to say, a portion of the superheater tubes 10' are arranged in rows 16 which are adapted to enter and occupy the lower portion of the length of the lanes 15 rovided in the main generating tubes 4 whlle the upper portion of the length of the said lanes 15 ,is adapted to be occupied by similarrows 17 of the auxiliary generating tubes 7. It therefore results that substantially the entire length of the lanes 15 is occupied either by superheater or auxiliary steam generating tubes, to the end that no open spaces exist in the said lanes through which the hot gases may escape, following the path of least resistance and failing to discharge the largest quantity of their heat units.

Suitable horizontal bafile members 19 and 20 may be provided above and in close proximity to the auxiliary generating tubes 7 in order to further prevent the escape of hotgases without first discharging the largest amount of their heat-units thereby lowering to a material extent the stack temperatures.

It will thus be seen that in the present invention the hot gases from the firebox 25 first pass around the main generating tubes 4, losing a port-ion of their heat units to the water contained in said tubes and converting the same into steam. This steam is collected in the upper or steam drum 2 from which it may be transferred by any suitable connections not shown to the lower superheater drum or header member 11, from whence it passes through the superheater tubes 10 to the upper superheater drum 9 extracting during its passage through the said sup erheater tubes a certain further amount of ture or only slightly lower; in temperature than the said hot gases, it results that not all of the heat units contained in the said gases are extracted therefrom. However, as the 7 said gases pass on upwardly-in an endeavor to escape through the fine 26 they are brought into contact with the auxiliary generating tubes 7 which contain water from the auxiliary water chamber 6 of a relatively lower temperature and this said water, of course, has a much greater tendency to'extract the heat units from the said hot gases than does the steam contained in the superheater tubes. It therefore results that the maximum number of heat units is extracted from the products of combustion, with the result that the total efliciency of the boiler and superheater is further increased.

a It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction, as well as the arrangement of parts, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore, it is not wished to be limited to the above disclosure, except as may be required by the claims. What I claim is:

1: In a liquid heater and vaporizer the combination of a steam drum and a water drum; a set of main steam generating tubes joining said drums; a superheater, comprising a pair of header members and a plurality of connecting tubes, pivotally associated with the lower portion of the length of said main generating tubes; an auxiliary water chamber; and a plurality of auxiliary steam generating tubes connecting said auxiliary chamber and said steam drum, and associated with the upper portion of the ieaaeae length of said main generating tubes, sub-- stantially as described.

2. In a liquid heater and vaporizer the combination of a steam drum and a water drum; a plurality of main steam generating tubes connecting said drums; an auxiliary water chamber comprising a header member rigidly associated with the furnace structure; a plurality of auxiliary steam generating tubes connecting said auxiliary water chamber and steam drum, and associated with the upper portion of the length of said main generating tubes; an upper superheater chamber comprising a header member pivotally associated with said auxiliary water chamber; a lower superheater chamher; and a plurality of superheater tubes connecting said superheater chambers, and associated with the lower portion of the length'of said main generating tubes, sub

stantially as described.

3. In a liquid heater and vaporizer the combination of a steam drum and a water drum; a plurality of main steam generating tubes connecting said drums; an auxiliary water chamber comprising a header member rigidly associated with the furnace structure; a plurality of auxiliary steam generating tubes connecting said auxiliary Water chamber and steam drum, and associated withthe upper portion of the length of said main generating tubes; a bafile member associated with said auxiliary generating tubes; an uppersuperheater chamber comprising a header member pivotally associated with said auxiliary water chamber; a lower superheater chamber; and a plurality of superheater tubes connecting sald superheater chambers, and associated with the lower portion of the len h of said main generating tubes, substantially as described. 4. In a liquid heater and vaporizer the combination of a steam drum and a water drum; a set of main'steam generating tubes ing tubes connecting said auxiliary chamber and steam drum, also arranged in a plurality of rows and adapted to enter and occupy the upper ortion of the length of said lanes, substantiaily as described. 7 g

5. In a liquid heater and vaporizer the combination of a steam drum and a water drum; a set of main steam generating tubes connecting said drums and so arranged as to provide a plurality of open-ended lanes extending lengthwise of said tubes; a superheater comprising a plurality of chambers and a set of connecting tubes pivotally associated. with said main generating tubes, said superheater tubes being arranged in a plurality of rows, adapted to enter and occupy the lower portion of the length of said lanes; an auxiliary water chamber; and'a set of auxiliary steam generating tubes connecting rality of open-ended lanes extending length- Wise of said tubes; an auxiliary water chamber comprising a header member rigidly associated with the furnace structure; a set of auxiliary steam generating tubes connecting said auxiliary chamber and steam drum, a portion of said auxiliary tubes being arranged in a plurality of rows adapted tolenter and occupy the upper portion of the length of said lanes; an upper superheater chamber comprising a header member pivotall associated with said auxiliary water chamber; a lower superheater chamher; a set of superheater tubes connecting said superheater chambers, a portion of said superheater tubes being arranged in a plura ity of rows adapted to enter and occupy the lower portion of the length of said lanes; and a bafile member associated with said auxiliary generating tubes, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES E. WARD. 

